GSA Expands Software Initiative
June 05, 2009
Even amid the economic recession, public construction is still growing due to the fact the ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) invests funds in the public sector. For example, the U.S. General Services Admin. (GSA), www.gsa.gov, Washington, D.C., will receive $5.55 billion for public projects—and is planning to use technology to help manage these projects.
Last fall, the GSA announced its Public Building Service (PBS) selected Proliance from Meridian Systems, www.meridiansystems.com, Folsom, Calif., to help manage projects on one system.
Now, the GSA PBS has revealed its plans to expand the usage of the construction project management software. This expansion comes partly as a result of the ARRA and the additional $5.55 billion for renovation projects of buildings distributed through the GSA.
After completing the pilot phase of its ePM (electronic project management) initiative, the GSA PBS has announced 3,200 users will begin managing large and small projects with ePM throughout the next 12 months.
According to Meridian Systems, this phase of the initiative will roll out the technology to construction managers and general contractors working on GSA projects and includes integration with internal GSA systems.
“The GSA PBS is a market driver for creating efficiencies for the industry,” says John Bodrozic, president, Meridian Systems. “To be supporting them in their efforts is very fulfilling. The GSA PBS actions can drive our industry more quickly towards the interoperability of software systems with their use of Proliance—a platform that’s designed to support that interoperability.”
The ARRA provides funds for public and infrastructure construction projects, and managing projects while maintaining strict requirements will involve an extra level of collaboration and documentation. As one example, the GSA PBS has found technology can help manage all project data on one system.